At the Maizing Family Fun Farm in Elberta there are only two rules: Stay on the cut paths and try not to tear up the corn. Within those parameters, hours of wholesome, family friendly fun can be had at Doug Frank and Scott Feely’s farm which houses a six-acre corn maze off of Woerner Road.

Feely said this is only their second year doing a corn maze, but since last year went so well they decided to do it again. Feely also said the whole family farm fills a void in Baldwin County.

“We saw that they were doing it up north basically. We realized that there weren’t very many down here, and we thought we would give it a try. We just got together and thought it would be worth trying and we kind of got to thinking you know 20 or 30 years ago, most kids around this area grew up on farms so they knew what farm life was like. Nowadays, it is the opposite,” said Feely.

Feely and Frank see this endeavor as a way to have fun and educate children, showing them a little bit of what life used to be like.

“We just thought it would be a good way, and be kind of educational for kids to come out to a farm-based event and see animals. They are just fascinated with the fact that this is where corn comes from. So that was the reason for us doing what we did,” said Feely.

Feely also said he enjoys spending time on the farm and interacting with the children who come through because he couldn’t get those experiences anywhere else. What Feely considers one of his most memorable and rewarding experiences involved a young boy that came to visit the farm last year. Feely said the little boy was only about 5, but he stood there for 10 minutes staring at the pig.

“Finally, he turned around and said, ‘Can I ask y’all something?’ I was like sure what is it. He said, ‘Where does the bacon come from?’ It is just rewarding that way,” said Feely.

Both Frank and Feely grew up on farms, so they know what it is like to work hard on a farm, but they also remember how simple it was to grow up on a farm, and how enjoyable it could be.

“When you are young and you are having to work your tail off on a farm, all you want is to get away. It is one of those deals that once you get away from it, you wouldn’t trade all the gold in Fort Knox for the memories, but you wouldn’t give all the gold in Fort Knox to go back to it again either. It is a wonderful way to grow up. It is kind of hard to explain because it is second nature,” said Feely.

Frank and Feely have tried to make everything about their farm family friendly and fun.

“We try to gear it around family. Everything we did around here, like the cannons and the cow train, even the swing set, everything is homemade. We are trying to give you something that you would find out on the farm to play with,” said Feely.

Everything was made by hand, and Frank and Feely spent a Saturday afternoon cutting the maze out of the cornfield. Feely said there are companies that would come out and cut the maze for you, but it would have cost them tens of thousands of dollars, so they just did the work themselves.

“We got the pattern that we wanted, converted it over to the size of the property and basically went out with a measuring tape and measured the paths and the directions that where we needed to make the turns. We went out there with a mower and mowed the paths,” said Feely.

The maze is a little harder to find your way out of this year than it was last year because this year there is only one exit instead of multiple ones. Frank and Feely said even though it is slightly harder, it still only takes people an average time of 20 minutes to find their way out.

Frank still gets lost in the maze himself. “I get lost in there and I am the one that mowed it in. I have a map, but I still get lost in there,” he said.

The corn maze is open Wednesday-Friday for private groups with reservations only from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The maze is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The corn maze will turn into a haunted attraction beginning at 7 p.m. on Oct. 28-31. The maze will close at midnight those nights.

“We did it last year and I thought it was a screaming success. We don’t do anything different to the maze, but we set up little stations,” said Feely.

There will be various individuals in costume throughout the maze on the haunted nights.

Admission for children 3 years old and under is free. General admission is $10 per person and senior citizens and military personnel get in for $8.

Admission includes the corn maze, miniature hay bale maze, playground, cow train, wagon ride, pumpkin patch, corn cannons and visiting the farm animals.

The Maizing Family Fun Farm is located at 27695 Woerner Road in Elberta, just off of County Road 95. For more information, visit elbertacornmaze.com.

Feely estimates that over 1,000 people came through the corn maze last year, and he has high expectations that this year will draw large numbers as well.